The Texas-USC-ASU connection strikes again. Following the commitment of wide receiver Jake Smith, defensive back Xavion Alford, who spent time both with the Longhorns and Trojans, officially pledged to Arizona State at the end of his official visit.

“I didn’t know that I was gonna commit before I came on the visit,” Alford said. “It was obviously an opportunity, and I knew that they were pursuing me very hard. I had never been to Arizona State on a visit, so I wanted to come up and see it for myself and see if I could see myself living there. I really liked the family environment there. The coaches and everyone there are just great people, and that was really the biggest thing for me to see.

“It’s obviously a nice city. It’s kind of like a mixture of Texas and Cali. All the facilities were up to date and new. They have everything they need to be successful.”

The defensive back was impressed with defensive coordinator Brian Ward's style of play, and learning more about this aspect had him believing he could truly “thrive” in that scheme.

“His system allows players to showcase their talents,” Alford explained. “It’s really simple and allows players to play fast. It allows you to play with a lot of freedom, and that was really big for me. I’m a player who wants to create a lot of turnovers, and this system will help you do that.”

Another significant aspect for Alford, who prepped at Pearland (Tex.) Shadow Creek High School was his relationship with his position coach in Tempe, Bryan Carrington, who not only has well-established connections in the Lone Star state but was also on the USC staff when Alford was a Trojan.

“I first met him when I was 17 years old,” Alford recalled. “So, we’ve known each other for a while. We have a great relationship where we can talk about anything, and it’s very natural. Words can’t even explain the relationship that we have.”

Alford didn’t play in the 2022 season due to injury, and in 2021 as a strong safety, the 6-foot-0 190-pound Alford appeared in 11 games, recording two starts. He posted 31 tackles, a team-best three interceptions (two of them in a win versus ASU), and three pass deflections. This performance earned him USC’s 2021 Co-Defensive Perimeter Player of the Year Award. At Texas, he saw action as a Freshman in 2020, tallying four tackles.

“Obviously, in 2021, I had a good season,” Alford commented,” and last year, I didn’t play a game because I was injured, so that was tough. So coming here is a fresh start for me. My goal here is to help Arizona State win the Pac-12.”

Alford will enroll at ASU for the spring semester and has three years of eligibility remaining.

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